London: A Devon student has landed in India as the emissary of Prime Minister Gordon Brown on a mission to countries playing a major role in the new global economy.

Caitlin Bawn was chosen for the Prime Minister's Global Fellowship after a series of interviews in London earlier this year. The scheme run by the British Council is supported by multi-nationals HSBC, Shell and Tesco and the web site Bebo.

The 18-year-old is among 100 youth selected across the UK to visit various countries. Caitlin, of Budleigh Salterton, has just finished taking A-levels at The King's School in Ottery St Mary.

Her first two weeks will be spent doing a cultural immersion course, which will include a trip to the Taj Mahal and learning basic Hindi.

For the second fortnight she will travel to Kolkata, working in a partner school, living with a host family and experiencing the culture firsthand. In the last two weeks she will be placed with a global company as part of a work experience-style placement.

Caitlin has also been chosen to be one of the scheme's 12 media leaders and will share her experiences via the internet, according to a report on a web site, thisisexeter.co.uk.

On her return, she will attend a conference with Brown in November.